“THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION” NO. 2837 - Spurgeon …

1 Sermon #2837 Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 1 Volume 49 1 THE MINISTRY OF reconciliation NO. 2837 A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD S-DAY, JUNE 28, 1903 DELIVERED BY C. H. Spurgeon AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON ON LORD S-DAY EVENING, JULY 8, 1887 And hath given to us the MINISTRY of reconciliation . 2 Corinthians 5:18 THERE has been a long standing quarrel between God and man. It commenced in that day when our first parents hearkened to the serpent s voice, and believed the devil rather than their Maker. Yet God is not willing for that quarrel to continue. According to the goodness of His nature, He delights in love. He is the God of peace, and He has, on His part, prepared everything that is needful for a perfect reconciliation . His glorious wisdom has devised a plan whereby, without violating His justice as the Judge of all the earth, and without tarnishing His perfect holiness, He can meet man upon the ground of mercy, and man can again become the friend of god .

2 That blessed work was done long ago, and now, all that remains is that man should be reconciled to God, that he should be willing to end the dispute, and that his heart should turn towards his Maker again in love, and peace, and perfect reconciliation . He bids us, His ministers, and indeed, all His servants each according to his opportunity, and experience, and knowledge, and ability and grace to go abroad among the sons of men and exercise the MINISTRY of reconciliation , to labor to bring men into harmony with God, that they may be willing to accept what God has done toward the making of an everlasting peace and ending, once for all, this grievous quarrel. You notice, dear friends, that Paul says that God hath given to us the MINISTRY of reconciliation , that is, to us men. He might have sent angels to you with the Gospel, but for a thousand reasons, it was preferable that He should send to men by men.

3 You observe also how the apostle reassures us by this message, for if there were a war between two countries, as for instance, suppose our country should unhappily be at war with France, it would be a token that we desired peace if the ambassador whom we sent to France was a Frenchman who had become domiciled among us. It would be a sure sign that the French sought to be at peace with us if they said to an Englishman living in Paris, Go to London, and try to make peace between the two nations. It would be a token at once that the desire for peace was sincere, and you may be sure that God earnestly desires that there should be peace between you and Himself, because He sends men to you with the word of reconciliation . This shows His condescension too in that He veils His glorious majesty.

4 A seraph would be far more worthy than I am to stand here to plead with you, and willingly enough would I resign my place to him. I do not know that an archangel could desire a happier or better work than to stand here, and speak on behalf of the God of the whole earth, and labor to bring back God s rebellious children to Him, but while his splendor might reveal much of the greatness of god to you, yet you might be terrified and alarmed by the angelic preacher, but now, the human being who addresses you, being just like yourselves, shows how God lays aside His glory, and holds back the thunder of His power, that He may come and reason with you face to face as a man reasons with his friend. He hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation because we can, in this matter, speak from experience.

5 When we talk about being at peace with God, and speak of the joy which this reconciliation brings, we can say, We know it is so, for we have felt it. We can enter, with full sympathy, into the case of our friends who are still unreconciled to God. We know the evil of sin, and the fear it creates in the conscience, for we have felt it ourselves. 2 The MINISTRY of reconciliation Sermon #2837 2 Volume 49 We can therefore, be tender and compassionate to others who are in a similar condition. And we also know something of the sweetness of peace with God through Jesus Christ, for we are living in the enjoyment of it. We know too, what are the struggles of a poor soul seeking to get that peace, for we struggled into peace through the rich mercy of god . I hope, therefore, that you will see the wisdom and the grace of god in choosing one like yourself to plead with you on His behalf, and that God will be pleased to bless that instrumentality, and make it effectual in your reconciliation unto Himself.

6 Notice particularly that the ministers of god are not sent to reconcile God to you. That great work is already done. As the righteous Judge, He was angry with all sin, but now, seeing that an acceptable sacrifice has been presented, He is able to meet you with forgiveness in His heart. We are not even sent to find out a way of reconciling you to God, for He hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation as well as the MINISTRY of reconciliation , so that all we have to do is, as it were, to translate into today s language that which God Himself has written in this Book. We have to speak out in simple, earnest, living words, the message which has been dictated to us not to make up a message, but to act as the mouthpiece of god . Oh, that He might make me that to many a heart here now!

7 Now let us go to this solemn work, and may God the Holy Spirit help us in it! First then, we wish to state the objective of true Gospel MINISTRY . Next, we will declare the word of reconciliation , and then, we will beseech you to agree with it. God grant that these points may strike home! I. First then, let us inquire WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF TRUE GOSPEL MINISTRY ? It is that men should be reconciled to God. My unconverted hearer, you are at enmity against God. I know that you do not always believe that. You say, I have not yielded my heart to Him, but still, I am not at enmity against Him. Listen. You do that which displeases Him, and you do it without any grief over it, or whatever compunction you may feel for a time, you do the same thing again and again, and you continue to do it.

8 What does this prove? When a subject constantly rebels against his sovereign, does it not prove that he is disloyal at heart? By their fruits ye shall know them, is our Lord s own test. Look, you unconverted ones, see what your fruits are, do not your wicked works prove that you are at enmity against God? Is it not certain that you do not like to hear much about Him? Am I speaking untruly when I say that you count the Bible very dull reading that some of you say that Sabbaths spent as Christians ought to spend them are very dreary days? You want something more cheerful, God s house is too weary a place for you, and to think about Him is too much of a task. I put it to your conscience whether it is not so with you. Do you not regard religion as being a very gloomy affair? If you wanted what you call, pleasure, would you think of seeking it in drawing near to God?

9 No, you would be happier if there were no God at all, would you not? And if all the arrangements of divine justice, by which God governs the world, should be abolished, would you not be pleased? If you could sin without being checked in it, or threatened with punishment for it, would you not be glad? All this proves that you do not love God, the real English of it is that you would destroy God, if you could, in order to have liberty to act according to your own devices. You do not find pleasure in Him, you must admit that your pleasure is found elsewhere. But when we truly love a person, we find pleasure in being in his company, we are glad to receive letters from him, in fact, anything that the hand of the loved one has touched becomes interesting or even sacred to us. Seeing that it is not so with you, but that you have said to God, Depart from me, I desire not the knowledge of Thy ways, does not this prove that your heart is at enmity against God?

10 Ah, young people! you may scarcely think that this accusation is a just one, but the more you come to search and look, the more you will find that it is true. If it is not true, I am indeed glad that I need not ask you to be reconciled to God, for you are reconciled already. But then, we shall need to see the proofs that it is so, and among the rest, we shall want to see whether you love God s Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and trust in Him, for He that loveth him Sermon #2837 The MINISTRY of reconciliation 3 Volume 49 3 that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. If you love the Father, you will love the Son, and put your soul s trust in Him. But it is not so with unrenewed men, they are at enmity against God. Our objective, in all our preaching, is that you should really be reconciled to God not that you should feign to be so.